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L.. A. ANDERSON BELT BUCKLE Filed Feb. 4. 1924 fiavaaitoif ,Zoua

Patented 0st. 7, 1924.,

UNITED STATES I 1,510,643 PATENT oFFlcE.

LOUTS A. ANDERSON, 0F ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO &' OOIVI- I 'PANY, Inc, or

sn'rrs.

ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF.MA SSAC I-IU- BELT BUCKLE.

Application filed. February 4, 1924.. Serial No. 690,385.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs A. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Attleboro, in the county of Bristol andState of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Belt Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to belt buckles of that type in which the belt is retainedlin adjusted position by means of" a clamping lever. V

Principal objects of the invention are to provide a buckle adapted to be used with belts of different thickness; simple in construction and having a minimum number of parts; and in which the pivots of the clamping lever are concealed and free movement of the lever is frictionally restrained.

In the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of'the invention is illustrated by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the buckle with its parts in clamping position, showing one end of the belt in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the buckle shown in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the buckle viewed from the left hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectionon the line 4t of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, omitting the clamping lever;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the clamping lever; and

Fig. 7 is an edge view of the clamping lever;

The buckle herein disclosed consists of but two parts namely, a front plate and a clamping lever.

The front plate 1 is preferably. of sheet material, such for example as sterling silver, having its front face ornamented or plain as may be desired and of any suitable size and shape. As illustrated the plate 1 is oval and its front face is slightly convex,

its edges at its right and left ends being turned or rolled at 2 and 3 respectively to stiffen it as well as to enhance its appearance.

Rearwardly directed flanges 4L and 5 respectively extend integrally from the upper per and lower flanges extend inwardlysubstantially at right angles to their respective flanges and constitute guides orretainers for the end of the belt as the latter is moved into and out of engagement with the clamping lever. V

The central cars 10 and 11 of the respective flanges are bent inwardly and forwardly so as to lie in spaced diverging relation to the inner surfaces of the flanges. These central ears are somewhat resilient and constitute bearings for the clamping lever, be

ing providedfor this purpose with journal 11. The free movement of the lever is thus hindered so that undue swinging and rattling of the lever is prevented. V

The bar 13 has a flange member 15 projecting from its central part substantially perpendicular to the body of the b ll. The flange proper is much shorter than the bar but its free edge portion is extended-in opposite directions towards the ends of the bar, forming arms. 16 and 17 substantially parallel to the body of the bar but spaced therefrom. This extended free edge of the flange is preferably thickened by bendingit to form a rib or ledge 18 so that it may have a wide bearing upon the belt; H p I The bar 13 is also provided with an actuating arm 19 having a looped extremity20 to which one end 21 of the belt is permanently secured. I I i The buckle thusconsists of but two parts and when the pivot pins 1 1 and 15 offthe lever are snapped into the bearing openings in the ears 10 and 11, their ends are concealed within the spaces between the ears and cept at theirinner ends they are somewhat resilient and can accommodate themselves to belts "of different thickness. Furthermore, the relatively short connection of the flange to the-bar 13 renders it capable to a certain extent of flexure out of its normal position when'subjected to excess pressure. Another factor which contributes to the capabality of the devicetoaccommodate itself to belts of different thickness is the resiliency of the ears 10 and Hand the side flanges 4E- and 5. lVith this arrangement excess pressure causes the'side flanges to spring apart-slightly so that the entire clamping lever may-move bodily awayfrom the-inner surface of the front plate and breakage of the-clamping lever is substantially prevented even though the belt employed be of abnormal thickness.

lI-claim:

1. A two-piece belt buckle consisting of a front plate having opposed rearwardly directedflanges, an ea-r extending inwardly 1 and forwardlyfrom the rear edge of each flange, said ears d-ivergingfrom their respect-ivafianges and "each having a journal opening, and a clamping "lever having aligned pivot elements engaging the respective openings.

2. A belt buckle comprising a front plate provided at its upper and lower arts-with rearwardly directed flanges; an ear integral with each flange, said ears extending inwardlyand forwardly in diverging relation "to their respective fian'ges,.-eachear having a journal opening, and a clamping lever havin ivot members en a in the resective openings, the ends of said pivotmembers b'eing'dlsposed ad acent to the mner faces of the respective flanges.

3. A belt buckle comprising afront'plate havingrea-rwardly directed flanges each pro vided with a resilient bearing member'having a ournal opening, said bearing members converging toward the rear face of the front plate, and a clamping lever having pivots engaging the respective openings, the-bearing members pressing resiliently against the lever adjacent to thepivots to retard its free "movement.

*4. A beltbuckle having a unitary clamping lever comprising a belt receiving loop, a belt clamping element and an'elongate bar having pivot pins projecting from its ends, and a front plate having integral resilient bearing members provided with journal openings for the pivot pins of the lever, said bearing members being so spaced relatively to the length of the bar as to cause them to press against the ends of the bar adjacent to the pivot pins to retard free swinging of the lever.

-5. A belt buckle comprising a front plate having a 'rearwardly'directed flange, a pair of spaced guide ears projecting inwardly from the rear edge of each of the flanges, and a belt clamping lever pivoted to turn about an axis substantially midway between the ears of said pairs.

6. Abeltbuckle comprising a front plate having rearwa-rdly projecting flanges at its upper and lower edges, a pair of spaced inwardly directed guide ears projecting from the rear edge of each flange, abea-ring ear also projecting fromthe rear edge of each flangeintermediate the ears of the respective pairs, said bearing ears extending forwardly and in diverging relation to the respective flanges'andhaving journal openings, and a clamping lever having pivot pins disposed in the respective openings.

7. A belt buckle having a front'plate and a unitary clamping lever, the latter comprisinga bar having pivot elements at its opposite ends and a'belt engaging member,

said member comprising a-flange disposed centrally of the length oft-he bar and substantially perpendicular thereto, the flange being thickened at its free edge to provide a wide belt contacting surface, the end portions of the-flange beingspaced from the bar and resilient.

gate portion of the flange constituting the belt engaging portion of the' lever.

Signed-by me at Attleboro, Mass, this 28thday of January 1924.

LOUIS A. ANDERSON. 

